'We will never give up': a qualitative study of ethical challenges Syrian health workers face in situations of extreme violence.

Active conflict settings constitute challenging operating environments for humanitarian health organisations and workers. An emerging feature of some conflicts is direct violence against health workers, facilities, and patients. Since the start of the war in 2011, Syria has endured extreme and deliberate violent attacks on health facilities and workers. This paper reports on the findings from a qualitative study that examined the lived experiences of Syrian humanitarian health workers facing extreme ethical challenges and coping with moral distress. In-depth interviews were carried out with 58 front-line health workers in north-western and southern Syria. Participants described a number of ethical and operational challenges experienced while providing services in extreme conditions, as well as strategies used to deal with them. The complex intersection of personal and organisational challenges is considered and findings are linked to key ethical and humanitarian principles. Both practical recommendations and action steps are provided to guide humanitarian health organisations.

A randomized-controlled trial of community-based transdiagnostic psychotherapy for veterans and internally displaced persons in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: There is limited research on community-based mental health interventions in former Soviet countries despite different contextual factors from where most research has been conducted. Ongoing military conflict has resulted in many displaced persons and veterans and their families with high burdens of mental health problems. Lack of community-based services and poor uptake of existing psychiatric services led to the current trial to determine the effectiveness of the common elements treatment approach (CETA) on anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) among conflict affected adults in Ukraine. METHODS: We conducted a three-armed randomized-controlled trial of CETA delivered in its standard form (8-12 sessions), a brief form (five-sessions), and a wait-control condition. Eligible participants were displaced adults, army veterans and their adult family members with elevated depression and/or PTS and impaired functioning. Treatment was delivered by community-based providers trained in both standard and brief CETA. Outcome data were collected monthly. RESULTS: There were 302 trial participants (n = 117 brief CETA, n = 129 standard CETA, n = 56 wait-controls). Compared with wait-controls, participants in standard and brief CETA experienced clinically and statistically significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and PTS and dysfunction (effect sizes d = 0.46-1.0-6). Comparing those who received standard CETA with brief CETA, the former reported fewer symptoms and less dysfunction with small-to-medium effect sized (d = 0.20-0.55). CONCLUSIONS: Standard CETA is more effective than brief CETA, but brief CETA also had significant effects compared with wait-controls. Given demonstrated effectiveness, CETA could be scaled up as an effective community-based approach.

Experiences of mental health and functioning among conflict-affected populations: A qualitative study with military veterans and displaced persons in Ukraine.

Objective: This article reports findings from a qualitative study that sought to identify and describe psychosocial and mental health consequences of conflict among internally displaced persons (IDPs) and military veterans in Ukraine. The study was the first phase of a clinical intervention trial and was designed to understand local experiences of mental health problems and function, inform the selection and adaptation of local measures, and guide the modification, and implementation of a psychotherapy intervention that could support conflict-affected persons. Method: Free-list interviews (FLs), key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FDGs) were conducted with IDPs, military veterans, and providers working with these two groups. A total of 227 respondents were interviewed from two study regions in eastern Ukraine-Zaporizhia and Kharkiv-including 136 IDPs and 91 military veterans. Results: Both IDPs and veterans were described as experiencing high levels of psychological stress symptoms, including depression, isolation, anxiety, and intrusive memories. Although IDPs and veterans were exposed to different traumas, they both identified struggles with social adaptation, including feeling isolated and misunderstood by their communities. Both groups also described relational conflict within and outside the family. Social support mechanisms were considered essential for recovery, and positive social interaction was described as a key example of healthy functioning. Conclusion: Findings suggest a need for community-based programming that facilitates social adaptation, supports social network building, and helps engage conflict-affected people into mental health services. Programs that promote greater awareness, interaction, and understanding among the general public, military veterans, and IDPs are also warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Adaptation and testing of an assessment for mental health and alcohol use problems among conflict-affected adults in Ukraine.

BACKGROUND: In Ukraine, a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and veterans experience social and psychological problems as a result of the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Our purpose was to develop reliable and valid instruments to screen for common mental health and alcohol use problems in these populations. METHODS: We used a three-step process of instrument adaptation and testing. The instrument-the Mental Health Assessment Inventory (MHAI)-combines adapted standard screeners with items derived locally in Ukraine. A validity study was conducted using a sample of 153 adults (54% male) ages 18 years and older. All participants in the sample were IDPs or veterans living in or near the major urban areas of Kyiv and Zaporizhia. Reliability testing (internal consistency, test-retest) and validity testing (construct, criterion) of the MHAI were conducted using classical test theory. After initial testing, we used Item Response Theory (IRT) to shorten and further refine the instrument. RESULTS: The MHAI showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the main outcomes: depression (α = 0.94; r = .84), post-traumatic stress (PTS; α = 0.97; r = 0.87), anxiety (α = 0.90; r = 0.80), and alcohol use (α = 0.86; r = 0.91). There was good evidence of convergent construct validity among the scales for depression, PTS, and anxiety, but not for alcohol use. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis supported use of shortened versions of the scales for depression, PTS, and anxiety, as they retained comparable psychometric properties to the full scales of the MHAI. CONCLUSION: The findings support the reliability and validity of the assessment-the MHAI-for screening of common mental health problems among Ukrainian IDPs and veterans. Use of IRT shortened the instrument to improve practicality and potential sustainability.

Testing the effectiveness and implementation of a brief version of the Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) in Ukraine: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Mental illness is a major public health concern. Despite progress understanding which treatments work, a significant treatment gap remains. An ongoing concern is treatment length. Modular, flexible, transdiagnostic approaches have been offered as one solution to scalability challenges. The Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) is one such approach and offers the ability to treat a wide range of common mental health problems. CETA is supported by two randomized trials from low- and middle-income countries showing strong effectiveness and implementation outcomes. METHODS/DESIGN: This trial evaluates the effectiveness and implementation of two versions of CETA using a non-inferiority design to test two primary hypotheses: (1) a brief five-session version of CETA (Brief CETA) will provide similar effectiveness for reducing the severity of common mental health problems such as depression, post-traumatic stress, impaired functioning, anxiety, and substance use problems compared with the standard 8-12-session version of CETA (Standard CETA); and (2) both Brief and Standard CETA will have superior impact on the outcomes compared to a wait-list control condition. For both hypotheses, the main effect will be assessed using longitudinal data and mixed-effects regression models over a 6-month period post baseline. A secondary aim includes exploration of implementation factors. Additional planned analyses will include exploration of: moderators of treatment impact by disorder severity and comorbidity; the impact of individual therapeutic components; and trends in symptom change between end of treatment and 6-month assessment for all participants. DISCUSSION: This trial is the first rigorous study comparing a standard-length (8-12 sessions) modular, flexible, transdiagnostic, cognitive-behavioral approach to a shortened version of the approach (five sessions). Brief CETA entails "front-loading" with elements that research suggests are strong mechanisms of change. The study design will allow us to draw conclusions about the effects of both Brief and Standard CETA as well as which elements are integral to their mechanisms of action, informing future implementation and fidelity efforts. The results from this trial will inform future dissemination, implementation and scale-up of CETA in Ukraine and contribute to our understanding of the effects of modular, flexible, transdiagnostic approaches in similar contexts. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT03058302 (U.S. National Library of Medicine). Registered on 20 February 2017.

Identifying mental health problems and Idioms of distress among older adult internally displaced persons in Georgia.

The global population of older adults (60 years and older) has been growing steadily; however, inadequate attention is given to the health needs of older persons, particularly within contexts of conflict and migration. This paper reports findings from the qualitative phase of an investigation assessing the mental health status of older adult internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus. The study aimed to assess community-wide social and health problems among older adult IDPs, with a focus on mental health problems and healthy functioning, as well as terminology used to describe these problems. Free-list interviews with older adult IDPs (n = 75) and key informant interviews with community members and service providers (n = 45) were conducted in 2010-2011 in three regions of Georgia: Tbilisi, Shida Kartli, and Samegrelo. Findings demonstrated that older IDPs experienced symptoms of distress that could be clustered into depression-like and anxiety-like syndromes. Participants described other psychosocial problems among older IDPs, including feelings of abandonment, isolation, and passivity, as well as conflicts in the family. All problems were linked with displacement-related experiences, such as difficulties with integration, grief, and war trauma. The expression of displacement-related problems was identified as an idiom of distress for this population. Older IDPs coped with these problems through social support mechanisms, including socializing, helping each other, working, and participating in the community. Key modalities for redressing older IDPs' psychosocial problems, improving quality of life, and achieving healthy 'aging-in-displacement' include: promoting social connectedness and community engagement, drawing on IDPs' skills, identifying new social roles, and strengthening social support networks.

"Finding a way out": Case histories of mental health care-seeking and recovery among long-term internally displaced persons in Georgia.

Trajectories of illness and recovery are ongoing and incomplete processes cocreated by individuals, their informal support networks, formal care-givers and treatment contexts, and broader social systems. This analysis presents two case histories of care-seeking for, and recovery from, mental illness and psychosocial problems in the context of protracted internal displacement. These case histories present individuals with experiences of schizophrenia and depression drawn from a sample of adult long-term internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Georgia, a country in the South Caucasus. Dimensions of care-seeking were compiled into a matrix for analysis. Interviews were open coded, and codes were linked with matrix dimensions to construct each case history. Findings illustrated that individuals moved cyclically among self-care, household support, lay care, and formal services domains to understand and manage their problems. Living with mental illness and within displacement are experiences that intersect at various points, including in the recognition and perceived causes of illness, stressors such as discrimination and isolation, the affordability and availability of services, and the capacity of social networks to provide informal care. Interventions are needed to support informal care-givers and build lay referral networks, as well as to identify intervention points within care-seeking processes. Interventions that target the mental health needs of displaced persons have the potential to contribute to the development of an innovative community mental health care system in Georgia.

A qualitative study of georgian youth who are on the street or institutionalized.

Street children, or children who live and/or spend time on the streets, are a vulnerable group of considerable concern to the global public health community. This paper describes the results of two linked qualitative studies conducted with children living or spending time on the street and in orphanages in and around urban areas in the Republic of Georgia between 2005 and 2006. The studies examined perceived causes of children going to the street, as well as indicators of healthy functioning and psychosocial problems among these children. Results on causes indicated a range of "push" factors leading children to the street and "pull" factors that keep children living on the street. Findings also showed a range of internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms among children on the street and within orphanages. Some differences in responses were found between children living on the street and in institutions. It is important to understand the perspectives of these vulnerable populations to guide decisions on appropriate interventions that address their primary problems.